In network computer systems, a plurality of client computers are typically connected together and to one or more server computers in the network. A network may be established through the hard-wired interconnection of a plurality of computer terminals and servers in a local network or on a wider scale such as the Internet or world wide web which may include telecommunication links. In any case, the network server or servers act as the central control unit for providing access to files, programs and program execution to the individual computers connected within the network.
With the increasing use of networks in general and multimedia presentations in particular, new opportunities are being developed for the design and delivery of data resources and assets in multimedia networks. In many applications, multimedia presentations are designed and created "on the fly" for delivery and presentation to both digital and analog display systems. For example, a user or "client" on a network or on the Internet may select a series of "active" video display segments or "movies" to be presented on the user's display device. Alternatively, a network administrator or manager may wish to assemble a series of "active" video segments on a server to be available to individual users on demand. In another application, a broadcast station may select and call for the presentation of a series of video segments for broadcast through associated stations to analog display devices of subscribers. For example, for an advertisement clip insertion, when the physical storage device is not large enough to store the entire content, segments have to be stored in multiple physical storage devices. In either the network or the broadcast application, it is important that the display of the sequential segments be continuous or "seamless" since any discontinuity in the data stream being delivered will result in either a loss of data or a "freeze" or other discontinuity in a displayed "moving" video presentation.
Moreover, in many server file systems, many different multimedia files may be stored for selective access and presentation. Such files may be selected individually for presentation or such files may be selected in groups. Many of the files contain both video content and corresponding audio content. Moreover, since all of the video files are not generally provided from the same source, the files exist in the file system or library in various formats and have various "operating characteristics". When any of the files are called for presentation, several "initializing" processing steps are required before the selected file or files can be presented. For example, with video files, the encoding rate of the file must be accommodated with the bit rate or transfer rate of the communication link, and the "play rate" and resolution of the display device. However, in "real time" or "on-the-fly" applications, the initialization process delay for sequential video or audio segments for example, may cause gaps, "freezes", or "black screen" break-up of video presentations, and possibly data loss or other very undesirable effects during the video or audio or other multimedia presentations.
Thus, there is a need for an improved multimedia presentation methodology which is effective to assemble a plurality of selected multimedia files and provide a continuous data flow to enable a seamless and continuous presentation of the selected multimedia data files.